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Why Study Religion? |
The study of religion often engages controversial questions. What
is the definition of religion presupposed in its study? What are the
strengths and weaknesses that religious insiders or outsiders
bring to research about religion? What is the relationship between
religion and politics or natural science or economics or any of the
other arts and sciences studied within the university? How and why do
religious traditions develop or even change over time? Does every
religious community, including its principles and practices, reveal
both diversity and continuity? If so, what are the consequences of that?
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The discipline of religion at NWU is distinctive in that the
Religion and Philosophy Department offers introductory and upper
division courses in both Christian theology and Biblical studies AND
in comparative studies of world and tribal religions. As a private,
church founded and church related school, the department of religion
is committed to an exceptional course selection for students
considering seminary or Christian ministry, with courses such as Old
and New Testament, Life and Teachings of Jesus, Life and Letters of
Paul, Christian Theology since the Enlightenment and New Testament
Greek. Complementing these courses, the department also pursues
descriptive and comparative approaches to a broader study of religion.
Courses such as World Religions, Jews and Christians, Christians and
Muslims, Religious Diversity in the U.S., and 20th Century Religious
Studies emphasize identifying, interpreting, and drawing thoughtful
conclusions from the material culture, practices and texts of a
variety of religions. This collection and interpretation of a wide
variety of religious expressions includes a winter term class that
travels to the Encounter World Religions Centre
in Toronto, Canada to observe and
participate in a variety of religious rituals and events, and to
interact with a range of religious communities.
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At NWU, the study of religion regularly includes the practice and
refinement of critical reading and thinking skills, the crafting of
appropriate and persuasive oral and written arguments, and a quest for
appreciation of religious pluralism within a global context and
community. As a comparatively small department, members of the faculty
for the study of religion pride themselves on the intense educational
experience they can provide for students, including smaller sections
of upper division courses, the practice and guidance of students in
becoming better, more confident, readers and writers, as well as more
prepared either for continuing education in graduate school or for a
variety of possibilities for more immediate entry into professional
life. For at least the last thirty years, it has become just as likely
for religion majors to attend graduate school in fields such as law,
physical therapy, political science, history, theatre, or womens
studies as it has been for them to attend a graduate school in
religion or theology. A Baccalaureate degree from Nebraska Wesleyan
University with a major in religion opens many doors of opportunity
for an exciting future.
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Why Study Philosophy? |
Philosophy is a discipline like no other in both its methods and in the nature and depth of its subject matter. Philosophy attempts to answer the questions that form the foundation not just of other disciplines but of everyday life such as: What can we know? What is happiness? How should we make moral decisions? What is the best society? How can we know if God exists? What is the source of aesthetic value? However, for the student of philosophy, the answers to these questions are not as important as the methods by which these answers are sought. Accordingly, in a philosophy class, the emphasis is placed heavily on developing the student’s ability to think clearly and concisely about these and other very complex issues through close readings of historical and contemporary philosophical texts.
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The development of these thinking skills and their application to philosophical questions have great personal and professional benefits for the student of philosophy. Personally, students come to have a better understanding of their most fundamental beliefs, how these beliefs affect their worldview and their action as well as how they see their place in their local, national and international communities. Moreover, since philosophical skills are those of clear and concise thinking in general, they are also indispensable for just about any kind of career. These skills are:
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- General Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Skills: The skills of rational inquiry so central to philosophy helps one analyze concepts, definitions, arguments and problems. It contributes to one’s capacity for organizing ideas and issues and the capacity to extract what is essential from masses of information. Philosophy also helps one to distinguish fine differences between views, to discover common ground between opposing positions, and helps one to synthesize a variety of views and perspectives into a unified whole. It is also noteworthy that philosophers have the HIGHEST average score of all Humanities disciplines and the third highest score (behind Economics and Finance) of all the Social Science, Education and Business disciplines on the Quantitative section of the GRE.
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- Communication Skills: Philosophy provides some of the basic tools for clearly and concisely expressing one’s views – for instance, skills in presenting ideas through well-constructed, systematic arguments – that other fields either do not use, or use less extensively. It also enhances one’s ability to clearly explain difficult material by helping to eliminate ambiguities and vagueness from one’s writing and speech. It is also noteworthy that philosophers have the HIGHEST average score of all Social Science, Humanities, Education, and Business disciplines on the Verbal section of the GRE.
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- Persuasive Powers: The emphasis on clear and concise communication skills through the construction of clear formulations, good arguments, and apt examples forms the basis for being persuasive. One learns to build and defend one’s own views, to appreciate competing positions, and to convincingly show why one alternative is better than another.
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- Reading and Writing Skills: Philosophy students at Nebraska Wesleyan University are required to closely read assigned historical and contemporary philosophical texts and then write interpretive, comparative, and argumentative papers on them that also encourage students to use their imagination and develop their own ideas. These activities develop the ability to recognize subtleties, nuances, and other fine details in both their own work and those of others.
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Although no non-academic employer specifically looks for philosophers, it is evident that the skills possessed by clear and concise thinkers that are acquired through philosophical activity (such as those just listed) are essential for success in any career. Some careers for which philosophy majors have proven particularly successful are: Law, Computer Programming, Education, Analysis and Research, Marketing, Technical Writing, Government and the Arts.
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(Just For Fun) Here are some famous philosophy majors: Woody Allen, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, David Duchovny, Susan Sarandon, Harrison Ford, Peter Lynch, Stone Philips, Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II, Pierre Trudeau, J. Paul Getty, Gerald Levine, Susan Sontag, Philip K. Dick, T.S. Eliot, Ken Follet, John Elway, Bruce Lee, and Supreme Court Justices Herschel Walker, Stephen Breyer and David Souter.
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